Grate



June 29, 1948. G. R. MUNRO ET AL GRATE Filed Nq 2 1945 in "if s 5 NTORS ATTORNEYS I Patented June 29, 1948 George Rolfe Munro, Harbor Green; and George Pelikan, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors :to, Waugh Equipment Company,

poration of Maine New York, N: 551, wa rcor- Application November 26, 1945', SerialNo. 630;736

7 Claims. (01.,126-176) 1 This-invention relates to fuel grates for heavy duty use, as in locomotive fire boxes, boiler furnaces, etc., and comprising frame members and grate bars mounted thereon for rocking movement. More particularly, the invention is con cerned with a novel grate of the type referred to, which includes improved supporting means for the grate bars. The new supporting means, although permitting easy removal of the bars from the frame members, are of such construction, that they are wholly protected from the fire and ash accumulations therein are prevented.

In prior grates consisting of a grate frame and grate bars pivotally mounted thereon, it has been the common practice to provide each bar with trunnions at its ends, which are received in sockets in the frame. Such sockets have usuallybeen open at the top, so that a bar may be seated in the frame or removed therefrom by vertical movement. The trunnions have usually been ex tensions from the ends of the grate bar with the tops of the trunnions lying substantially in the plane of the top of the bar, or, else, in some constructions, the trunnions have been formed as projections from arms extending upwardly at the ends of a, carrier bar, on which fuel supporting units are mounted. Inthe latter construction, the tops of the trunnions lie close to the fuel supporting surface of the units, so that, in both casesQthe trunnions are near the burning fuel, particularly if thin fuel beds are maintained.

With the trunnion sockets open from above in the constructions described, ash is likely to accumulate in the sockets and, with the sockets so close to the fire, the ash entering the sockets may initially be molten and then harden: In any event, the ash is abrasive in character andywhen the grate is shaken by rocking of the bars, the ash causes rapid wear of the sockets andtrunnions. Although the carrier bar of a, grate bar; consisting of such a, carrier and separate fuel supporting units mounted removably thereon, should last indefinitely, in that the carrier bar is protected by the units against damage from the fire, nevertheless, the life of such a carrier bar mounted by means of trunnions enteringopen' top sockets in the frame may be substantially shortened by the wear on the trunnions resulting from ash accumulation in the sockets The present invention is directed tothe provision of a grate, in which the grate bars are mounted on the grate frame by means ofnovel supporting means, which can not collectashand are wholly protected against fire damage; The

elementsof the: supporting means form integral parts. The gratewbanmay include a carrier bar and fuel supporting;unitssremovably mounted thereon,- and; therarrier bar has projections 1 along ite -top "definingizrecesses with downwardly convergent walls. Theunits are seated in the recesses andythe convergent? walls thereof' tend to maintain theun-itsin; upright position For a better understanding of the invention reference mayi be made tome-accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1- is a view initransverse section through a grateembodyingtheinvention; one of the grate bars being shown partly in elevation and partly in a section;

Fig; 2 is a sect-ionalviewthrough the supporting meansof argraterbar of the new-gratathe bar being turned?- toishow how it is removable from the gratevframe members;

Fig. 3 is a view in-endeleva-tionofthe carrier bar of the grate bar of the invention; :and

Fig. 4 is a sectional'view'on the line i ief Fig. 1. a

' In the drawings; one section of 1 the new grate is illustrated and. itincludes a side frame member ID and a center frame'member l I; The member ID: includes anzupriglit web provided at its lower end with a, suitable base orfoott (not shown), and at its upperend, the web is formed on one face with a plurality of vertical lugs l2, which are spaced'apart touprovidevertical air passages l3 between them; A plurality of projections it for supporting theends of grate bars are formed integrally with the web of frame member it and extend fromthe vertical face thereof below the lugs! 21 Each such projection has a top sur face Ma curved abouta horizontal axis and, at its free end, the projection is undercut to leave an overhanging part l5, which is relatively wide m and thinand has a concave under surface lEa.

The center frame member II is similar to the member ID; except that itisprovided with rows of vertical lugs I 6; similar to lugs 12, on both faces at the top, andit is also provided with (5] projections l1 extending in alignment from opposite faces below its top. Projections ITare of the same construction as projections l4 and include overhanging portions I8; similar to portions I5 of projections I4.

In installing the grate; the frame members are placed in parallel relation and with projections M on the side frame member aligned with projections I! on the center frame member. Beyond the center'frame member, there is another sec invention also includes a new grate bar, of which tionof' the grate'including aside frame memb and I8 of the frame members and the top internal surfaces 20 of the carrier bar within its ends are of the same curvature as the surfaces I of the projections, so that the bar can be readily rocked on the projections. A lug 2I is mounted between the legs of the carrier bar at each end to project toward the end and the lugs may be conveniently formed as integral parts of partitions 22, which extend across the interior of the' carrier bar back from the ends thereof. When the carrier bar is mounted on projections I4 and I8, the lugs 2I underlie the overhanging parts l5, I8 of the respective projections, so that the carrier bar can not be freed from the projections by a vertical movement. The shape and position of each lug, however, are such that spaces are provided between the lug and the adjacent inner surfaces of the legs of the carrier bar, and, when the bar is turned through an angle of about 90 fromits normal position, the overhanging parts I 5, I8 of the projections enter such spaces. The carrier bar can then be disengaged from the projections by movement in a horizontal direc tion. r

The carrier bar is provided at its ends with barriers 23 extending upward from itstop and having downwardly convergent opposed faces. A plurality of longitudinal ribs 24 project from the outer surface of the carrier bar and, in the construction illustrated, there are two ribs on each side in upper and lower levels, the corresponding ribs on opposite sides-of the bar lying in the same level. The ribs are interrupted near the ends of the carrier bar to form openings 25, 26, and openings 26'are offset inwardly from openings 25. A rib 21 extends lengthwise along the top of the outer surface of the carrier bar and the rib is formed with recesses, each of whichis defined by' a pair of downwardly convergent surfaces 28, 29.

A plurality of fuel supporting units 30 are mounted on each carrier bar and each unit comprises a plate having a plurality of spaced lugs 31 projecting from its opposite surfaces at its top and defining vertical air channels 32 between them. A number of the lugs 'are combined at the middle of each unit to form a reinforcement Each unit is formed with a recess 34 extending upwardly from its lower end, which is of approximately the same contour as the outline of the carrier bar, and at the opening to the recess, the unit is formed with inwardly extending lugs 35, the distance between which is less than the distance across the carrier bar between the outer faces of the lower ribs 24. In order to mount the units of the carrier .bar, they are placed in the inclined position of the unit 30 at the left in Fig. 1 and then lowered at an agle, so that the lugs 35 pass through the openings 25, 26 through the ribs 24 on the carrier. When the unit has been lowered until the upper wall of its recess strikes rib 21, it is straightened up and its lugs 35 then pass beneath the lower ribs 24 on the carrier bar. The unit is then shifted along the carrier bar and seated in one of the recesses in I gaged from the projections.

'4 rib 21 defined by the convergent walls 28, 29. Fuel supporting units are mounted on the carrier bar in the manner described, until the bar has its full complement of units.

The grate bar is provided with a shaker arm 36 formed integrally with the carrier bar and projecting downwardly therefrom. The shaker arms of the grate bars in a section of the grate are connected together by the usual rod attached to a shaker handle. By operation of the handle, all of the grate bars can be rocked about the projections I i, ll of the frame members but, in such rocking movement, the grate bars cannot be turned to an angle such that the overhanging portions I5, I8 of the projections enter the spaces betweenllugs 2i and the adjacent walls of the legs of the carrier bar to any considerable extent. The grate bars can, therefore, not become disen- Whenever removal of a grate bar is required, its shaker arm 1s detached from the shaker rod and the bar can then be turned through the angle of approximately to the position shown in Fig. 2, after which the bar can he slipped from the projections by horizontal movement.

It will be noted that, in the completed rate, the projections It, If on which the grate bars are mounted, extend into the ends of the carrier bar so that there is no possibility of ash accumulating between the surfaces of the carrier bar and of the projections, which move relatively to one another when the grate bars are rocked. Wear on the projections and grate bars resulting from the abrasive action of ash is, consequently, avoided and fire damage to the projections and the parts of the grate bars cooperating therewith prevented.

We claim:

1. In a grate, the combination of a pair of frame members having aligned opposed projections which are relatively wide and thin and have top surfaces curved abouta horizontal axis, a carrier bar having end portions of inverted U- section seated on the respective projections with the legs of each end portion extending downwardly a substantial distance below the associated projections, each end portion having a lug between and spaced from the inner walls of its legs and underlying the projection, the distance between each side of the lug and the adjacent inner wallof the end portion being greater than the thickness of the projection and less than the width thereof.

2. In a grate, the combination of a pair of frame members having aligned opposed projections which are relatively wide and thin and have top surfaces curved about a horizontal axis, a carrier bar having end portions of inverted U section seated on'the respective projections with the legs'of each end portion extending downwardly a substantial distance below the associated projection, a partition at the inner end of each end portion extending between the legs of the latter, and a lug on each partition extending forwardly therefrom to underlie the associated projection, each lug lying free of the inner walls of the legs of its related end portion and the distance between each side of the lug and the adjacent inner wall of the end portion being greater than the thickness'of the projection and less than the widththereof.

3. A carrier bar for use in a grate bar, which comprises a member having end portions of inverted -U-sectlon, a barrier extending upwardly from each end portion at the free end thereof, a partition lying between the legs of each end portion, and a lug extending outwardly from each partition and lying spaced from the inner walls of the legs of its end portion.

4. A carrier bar for use in a grate bar, which comprises a member having end portions of inverted U-section, a barrier extending upwardly from each end portion at the free end thereof, a plurality of lateral projections from the member extending substantially from end to end thereof, each projection being interrupted between its ends, a partition closing the inner end of each end portion, and a lug extending outwardly from each partition and lying spaced from the inner walls of the legs of its end portion,

5. A carrier bar for use in a grate bar, which comprises a member having end portions of inverted U-section, a partition closing the inner end of each end portion, a lug extending outwardly from each partition and lying free of the inner Walls of its end portion, and a pair of ribs extending laterally from the upper surface of the mem- 20 her along each side of the axis thereof substantially from end to end of the member, each rib being interrupted at at least one place, the interruptions in corresponding ribs on each side of the member being aligned and those in the lower ribs being offset from those in the upper ribs.

6. A carrier bar for use in a, grate bar, which comprises a member of inverted U-section having a transverse partition between its legs adjacent each end thereof, a lug extending outwardly from each portion and lying spaced from the inner walls of its legs, a plurality of ribs on the outer surface of the member and extending substantially from end to end thereof, the ribs being 35 2,278,316

arranged in upper and lower pairs with those making up a pair lying on opposite sides of the axis of the member, the ribs being interrupted adjacent one end of the member, the interruptions in the ribs of a pair being aligned and ofiset lengthwise of the member from those in the ribs of the other pair.

7. A carrier bar for use in a grate bar, which comprises a member having end portions of inverted U-section, a barrier extending upwardly from the free end of each end portion, a partition closing the inner end of each end portion, a lug extending outwardly from each partition and spaced from the inner walls of the legs of the end portion, within which the lug lies, and project tions along the top of the members defining recesses arranged in a row lengthwise of the member, each recess having downwardly convergent Walls,

GEORGE ROLFE MUNRO'. GEORGE PELIKAN.

5 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,491,811 Miller Apr. 29, 1924 1,884,557 Buckley Oct. 25, 1932 1,899,537 Thompson Feb. 28, 1933 1,899,945 Darby Mar. 7, 1933 1,912,868 Thompson June 6, 1933 2,000,473 O'Connor May 7, 1935 Hulson Mar. 31, 1942 

